Course Information

Fees

Please contact us for details about the exact cost.
We hope that no one is prevented from following the course through lack of money.
Some assistance may be available from a small bursary fund.

Venue

The course is held at the London Centre for
Spirituality. This is in St Edmund King and Martyr Church in Lombard Street. The entrance
is through the bookshop. It is a short walk from Bank (exit 6) and
Monument underground stations. Mainline stations, Cannon Street, London Bridge and Liverpool
Street, are a short walk away. The Centre is also on a number of bus routes. A map of the
area can be found at Multimap or Google Maps.

This course began simply and slowly with a day once a month at the house of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist in
Westminister. In 1986 the number of the participants had grown so we moved to Liddon House in
South Audley Street. Now the course was fortnightly and a three year programme comprising a
Foundation Year, Intermediate Year and Advanced year. Sister Winifred Morley, who had been
giving workshops on Ignatian Spirituality to Anglicans for some years, took charge of the
Foundation year and Sister Kathleen Lyons who was working with Elisabeth designed the second
year theory which was a detailed study of the text of the Spiritual Exercises. Towards the end of the
1980s we moved to the All Saints
Sisters house in Margaret Street, and so we became known to many as the Margaret
Street Course. When they too had to move, we found a venue with the London Centre for Spirituality in Lombard St., whose
director is Andrew Walker, who by this time was also a Director of the Ignatian course.

Every year we try to listen carefully to the feedback from our students and adapt the
course in the light of what we feel to be valid and constructive. Always, we want what we do
to be for the greater honour and glory of God. In 1994 Elisabeth became ill and
subsequently died, and we wondered about the continuation of the course, since she had been
such a charismatic leader. However, participants have continued to apply — indicating
that there continues to be need for such a work.

The aim of the course has evolved over the years. Initially, we saw the goal of our work
to prepare people to give the 30 day retreat, but it became clear that the need for this was
less, as people could not afford or indeed have the time for such a long withdrawal from
their work and home. Now we see our aim to help students to adapt the Spiritual Exercises to the many needs of
people in today's world, continuing to work within the spirit of the Exercises to the greater glory of
God.